Insignia, 94th Aero Squadron, United States Army Air Service

Hand painted 94th Aero Squadron insignia; "Uncle Sam's" top hat depicted with blue field on top with five white five point stars and alternating red and white vertical stripes on the lower half; white underside of brim surrounded by a red ring; black background; seven black Maltese crosses representing enemy aircraft shot down painted on inside band of the hat.

The "Hat in the Ring" insignia represented the 94th Aero Squadron of the United States Army Air Service (USAAS) during World War I. This emblem was from a squadron aircraft that flown by H. Weir Cook, during the conflict. Cook was an ace credited with shooting down three aircraft and four observation balloons. The 94th Aero Squadron, one of the first American pursuit squadrons to operate over the Western Front and see combat, was highly publicized in American print media and became one of the most famous squadrons in the USAAS.

This insignia was cut off of H. Weir Cook’s Spad XIII during World War I by Sgt. Oke Sieurin. Oke Sieurin served as Cook’s aircraft maintenance technician during the war. The donors received the collection as a gift from their father Donald Sieurin. Donald is the son of Oke Sieurin and inherited the insignia from his father.